Tarot cards can help a confused person understand which direction he should move.
The “Path” Tarot layout is most suitable for this purpose - simple, but effective way find out what you want.
It can be used for any life situation, the resolution of which depends on human actions.
How to lay out cards
For the Path layout, a full deck is used, from which you need to pull out seven cards and arrange them according to the following picture:
Card meanings
- The first card will tell the essence. From it you can understand what exactly the person for whom the fortune telling is being performed will be able to achieve in the area that concerns him.
- The cards in the left column will show the person's past actions in that area. Number 2 symbolizes his conscious behavior and motives, i.e. shows how the fortuneteller (or the one on whom they are fortunetelling) justifies his behavior for himself, how he represents the essence of the matter that interests him.
- Number 3 talks about emotions and unconscious motives. It shows all the desires, hopes, aspirations and fears of a person, meaning both those feelings that were in the past and those that exist now.
- The number four symbolizes the impression that the fortuneteller’s actions make on others.
- The right column talks about the future. Card number 7 will tell you what rational motive should be followed in order to achieve your goal.
- Number 6 will answer the question of what feelings can be given free rein so that the situation is resolved in favor of the questioner.
- Seven will help determine what kind of reaction from others a person needs to evoke in order to achieve success.
Important points in the layout and interpretations
Before you begin the interpretation, pay attention to the first card. If it carries a positive meaning, then you can continue to interpret the alignment. If a negative symbol appears in this position, this means that the intended goal is either unattainable in principle, or now is not the right moment for its implementation. If a negative card appears, it is better to repeat the layout after some time, for example, after two weeks or a month.
- During the interpretation, pay attention to the paired positions: 2 and 7, 3 and 6, 4 and 5. They will help you understand the possible contradictions that exist between a person’s behavior in the past and present and the behavior necessary to achieve success in the intended business.
- The sixth card is also of particular importance, since it answers a specific question - what exactly should the person who asks the question from the cards do.
Remember that the “Path” Tarot layout will give correct predictions only if the person being told the fortune asks the right question and clearly understands its importance. If he has not decided whether he really wants to achieve this goal, whether he needs it, then the interpretation of the alignment may turn out to be incorrect.
It is believed that this layout is quite young, since its author is our contemporary, German Tarot card specialist Hayo Banzhav. According to the creator of the layout, the cards were supposed to answer one question: “What should I do next?” Moreover, this question could touch upon topics in any vital spheres of human existence. Today, with the help of the Path layout, you can answer three questions at once, which, however, are a specification of one initial one.
So, the questioner can receive the answer from the cards about what capabilities he has to achieve his goal, how successfully he has acted so far, what he needs to do in the future in order to achieve his goal, and even correct the mistakes of the past. The Path unfolds very simply. However, interpreting the drawn cards is much more difficult. But everything is in order.
Card meanings
1 - main. Its meaning is “the essence of the matter,” that is, the card shows the goal.
2, 3 and 4 (left column) - characterize the measures and steps that were taken to achieve the goal. These steps are specified as follows:
1) card 2 personifies the rational behavior of the questioner, his conscious motive. In other words, the map shows how the questioner understands the essence of the matter;
2) card 3 personifies the emotional component or unconscious motive of the questioner, which means all his aspirations, desires, fears and hopes. In other words, the card shows what the person asking the question felt or feels;
3) card 4 shows the public response to the questioner’s actions on this issue.
7, 6 and 5 (right column) are a reflection of what needs to be done in the future to achieve the goal set by the person. However, the cards in the right column have their own specification:
1) card 7 gives an indication of what should be followed in terms of rational thinking;
When interpreting the dropped cards of the layout, you need to start with the main card 1. Using its analysis, you need to understand what the prospects of your enterprise are, whether the business you have started will end in success. If the card in this position is unsuccessful, then, apparently, the goal is unattainable at all, or at least in the near future. In this case, it is necessary to postpone fortune telling on this issue until better times. If the card in the first position is successful and the goal is quite achievable, you should move on to analyzing the columns to determine whether you are moving correctly towards your goal or what adjustments need to be made. To do this, you need to consider the ratio of cards located in the same row: 2 and 7, 3 and 6, 4 and 5.
When studying Tarot cards, more than one book was used. Under articles about layouts, I will indicate the source/book from where the information was taken.
The “Path” layout in question answers the question “how should I behave next?” in all areas - in human relationships, at work, in the sense of old habits and in financial affairs, as well as in any life situation.
Technique:
1. Ask yourself a question, the meaning of which should boil down to the following: what should I do in this situation? For example: “How should I behave with my boss tomorrow?” or: “What should I do to find new job? (apartment, life partner, etc.).” Or: “How can I solve such and such a problem?” The main thing is that the question does not sound abstract, like: “Will I ever have real love?. If you’re going to ask about this, then the question should be formulated something like this: “What do I need to do for true love to come to me?”
2. Use all 78 cards. Mix them well and fan them out in front of you (face down).
3. Now stop thinking about your question and draw seven cards one after another with your left hand. Place them side by side separately, but do not turn them over. And it doesn’t matter whether you move your hand over the row for a long time, waiting until your hand feels tingling or warmth, or just randomly pull out all seven cards in a row. You may or may not close your eyes. Just do what your soul is most passionate about now, don’t force yourself. Just remember that you will need to open the cards in the same order in which you pulled them out.
4. Now start opening the cards one by one. Take the very first one - from underneath, if you placed them one on top of the other - and lay them out in the order shown in the picture.
5. First position — true essence your question, your prospects in the current situation and what you can expect from it.
The remaining six cards show “how you got to this point in life” ( positions 2, 3 and 4) and what you should do next ( positions 5, 6 and 7). And, since these paired cards correspond to three planes of existence, they can also be interpreted as an analysis of levels:
2 and 7 - mental level, mind, consciousness, 3 and 6 – astral level, soul, emotions, 4 and 5 - physical layer, body, behavior in society. These values are also given in the description of the cards by position.
More precisely:
1 card. The most important. Show options and warn about hazards.
Left column:
2 card. Mind, consciousness, logical thinking. Ideas, intentions, models of behavior that a person “invents” for himself. Rational explanation of the situation.
3 card. Subconscious, drives, desires coming “from the heart.” Hopes and fears. Emotional explanation of the situation.
4 card. External. The way a person is perceived by others is his “façade”.
Right column:
7 card. Awareness of the situation. Advice on how to think about it and draw conclusions.
6 card. Subconscious impulses. Advice on what emotions to follow.
5 card. External. How you should behave with others.
6. Knowing the meanings of the cards, try to tie them together and compose them for yourself big picture. Do not pay attention to apparent contradictions, but try to penetrate deeper. The cards often indicate a discrepancy between your feelings (positions 3 and 6) and thoughts (positions 2 and 7) or that we are not acting at all as our true self requires (positions 4 and 5).
7. Keep a diary and note in it both the question and the cards drawn in response to it, so that you can return to them two to three weeks later and analyze the situation again. This, by the way, helps a lot to understand the meaning of both the cards themselves and your questions about them. Be sure to leave room in your journal for these follow-up comments.
In Banzhaf’s book, each card has a specific interpretation associated with the specific position in which it finds itself, so if this is interesting and important to you, you can look at them in the book.
I prefer to build on my knowledge of the cards and interpret them on my own, simply understanding that there are positions of consciousness, and there are positions of emotions, etc.
Which is correct, which is better, I don’t presume to judge. I’ll just say that it’s easier for me this way, and in this way, it seems to me, I’m getting closer to the cards.
(Source - Banzhaf "Tarot Self-Teacher")